Glee: Naked: Episode 12 Season 4 – TV Review

Glee tackles body image on a regular basis, but last night’s “Naked” dug a little deeper. Rachel is cast in a student film which requires her to do a topless scene. She has the support of her live-in boyfriend Brody, but Kurt completely shuts down the idea. Meanwhile at McKinley, the New Direction boys are dealing with their own type of bareness.

Episode Title: “Naked”

Rachel is cast in a student film production, but is faced with a dilemma when the part requires nudity. The New Directions need to raise money, so the guys pose mostly bare in a photo shoot for a “Men of McKinley” calendar.

The Good:

Breakfast Chat: Rachel decides to go ahead and film the topless scene for a student’s thesis film. Brody supports her decision, and shows this by showing up to breakfast completely nude. Kurt, on the other hard, rejects the idea and tells Rachel that serious actresses don’t do nudity. But he’s wrong. Brody gives Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates as examples (they all got an Oscar after showing some skin). This information doesn’t keep Kurt from calling Rachel a “slutty barbie” though. It’s a very hostile first meal, but quite entertaining.

Quinn and Santana: At Kurt’s request, Quinn and Santana show up in New York to have a last minute intervention with Rachel. They make her rethink her decision to do the nude scene, not because they’re against nudity, but because it’s not a Hollywood movie. Rachel shouldn’t need her friends to fly in for this. She’s smarter than that. Still, it was nice seeing Quinn and Santana perform a song again. We’ve missed their voices.

Calendar Idea: Tina comes up with an awesome plan to make money for Regionals. All the New Direction guys get to show off their hot bods for a calendar. Most of the episode revolves around Sam’s self-esteem issues, but there’s still a lot of time dedicated to the guys’ rocking physiques.

The So-So:

Take Down of The Warblers: We were hoping to see The New Directions destroy The Warblers, slowly and painfully. It was super exciting to see that mystery unfold last week. Unfortunely, the writers decided to skip that and just show that the glee kids are back in the race and that the Warblers are out.

“This Is The New Year,” Various – The New Directions close the episode with this cheery number.

Overall:

We’re glad the New Directions are back in the running for Regionals. The McKinley calendar was a great idea too. That along with Rachel’s nudity problem offered a fresh take on the subject of physical appearances on the show.